Thammanna Nuwara
Upatissa Nuwara
Anuradhapura
Anuradhapura Chola
Ruhuna
Polonnaruwa
Dambadeniya
Yapahuwa
Kurunegala
Gampola
Kotte
Sitawaka
Kandy
Portuguese
Dutch
British
Monarch of Ceylon
125
King Sena IV
Kingdom of Anuradhapura
954 AC - 956 AC

After the seventh Udaya King, the throne was ascended by the prince named Sena, who had served as his crown prince. He became the fourth king known by that name. No sources mention the parents of this king. An inscription that helps investigate this comes from a monastery called Kaludiya Pokuna in the Matale region. This inscription mentions King Udamah, Queen Vidura, and a king named Mahasen Maharaja. The king named Udamah can be considered as the fourth Udaya King. Many parts of the inscription that are expected to clarify this are missing, making it difficult to determine the relationships. Even so, a sequence compared fairly with the chronicle can make it reasonably clear. The question arises: can Queen Vidura be considered the inner palace official of the fourth Udaya King as mentioned in the Mahavamsa? The issue is that she is mentioned only as an inner palace official in the Mahavamsa. However, considering the details of the donations and activities performed together with the king, it appears that she held a powerful position. According to our analysis, if the points mentioned in the Mahavamsa are compared, it is possible to trace the lineage of the fourth Sena King.

The Mahasen Maharaja mentioned in the above inscription has been considered by some as the third Sena King. However, Professor Paranavitana considers him as the fourth Sena. Combining all this, it appears that both the fourth Sena King and the fourth Udaya King were sons of Queen Vidura. It is likely that, unlike the other childless princes, Vidura became queen due to her offspring.

The reign of King Sena was very short. However, the Mahavamsa provides a high praise of him. He was highly intelligent, a poet, and a man of virtue. He was fair to both friends and enemies. He was compassionate and friendly to all. Because of this, rain fell timely. All the inhabitants of the country lived peacefully and comfortably. Even though his reign was short, everything that should be said about a king is contained therein. Among the benefits that a ruler should derive from history, this ideal is very important. A ruler must necessarily be wise. Only then can work and achievements be accomplished. A fool cannot rule. He was a poet—not in the sense of writing books of poetry, but as a person full of aesthetic sensibility. A sensitive and disciplined heart is meaningful in this. This indicates that the king should not be cruel.

Virtue and personality matter. The ability to explain ideas, apply them in tasks, discipline the mind, and use moral speech is essential for a king. Fairness should also be meaningful. When enforcing laws, there should be no distinction between friend and enemy. Partial governance is a vice that leads to disorder and the collapse of administration. This situation must be corrected not only by the king but also from the village level to maintain good governance. Therefore, the ruler should be central and impartial. Timely rain is a blessing. It occurs naturally, but the king’s actions have an invisible influence. When the king is virtuous, the people are virtuous. These virtuous qualities exert an invisible influence on the environment. It can be said that this positively affects prosperity and development. Even when the irrigation tanks fill and overflow, and reservoirs fill, this is the result. Laziness is removed, and the population, nourished with energy and effort, becomes happy and content. According to the chronicle, this situation occurred during the reign of the fourth Sena King, indicating that the king was nourished with these virtues. This ideal is an important lesson for all rulers concerned with administration throughout all ages.

The Mahavamsa also clarifies a few religious activities of the fourth Sena King. Some of these include preaching the scriptures to monks and conducting the Dalada (Sacred Tooth) worship. Particularly important is the establishment of a monastic settlement called Siththagama. It is said that the king first resided there. The exact location of Siththagama cannot be precisely determined. Some say it was in Ruhuna, while others indicate it was in a region belonging to the capital. The Abhidharma exposition maintained by the Dhamma-mittha monks in Siththagama was conducted during the reign of the fourth Mihindu King. The first protective officer of King Vijayabahu I, Budalnawan, is recorded in the Sithnaru region as having a copper seal. This indicates that it must have been a single area. Sithnaru corresponds to the city of the mind. To clarify further, in Sinhala, its Pali form is Sithnaru.

In an inscription found among large ruins of an ancient monastery in the Kandakadu region, slightly north of Mutugalla, near Manampitiya, the words “Mahachittanakara Vihara” are mentioned. This inscription belongs to the period of the second Upatissa King. From this inscription, it is clear that Siththagama or Chitta Nagar corresponds to the present-day Kandakadu region. In an earlier age, the Len inscription in the Bambaragala Vihara of Teldeniya also mentions Chittanakara. Some remnants of buildings belonging to the settlement constructed by King Sena are still visible in the Kandakadu region. The fourth Sena King reigned for about three years, a very short period.

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